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Here and There on the Turf Early Juvenile Races. How They Help the Breed. Windsor to Have Racing. Futures and Breeding. Each one of the winter race courses has shown two-year-olds of the new year and with their coming there is a new interest in the sport. At both the Fair Grounds in New Orleans and Tijuana in Mexico the baby racers had their opportunity on New Years Day. while Oriental Park in Cuba was just one day later. At both Tijuana and the Cuban course the distance was a quarter of a mile, while at New Orhans the distance was three-eighths. The winners at Tijuana and Oriental Park respectively were Oil Lady and Gymkhana, fillies, while at New Orleans it was a colt that Avon when Step Along was the victor. The honors of this first two-year-old racing of 1924 goes to three different sires, for Step Along is a chestnut son of Uncle and Ivabel, by Ogden, bred by W. B. Miller, owned by F. Grabner and trained by A. J. Thomas. Oil Lady is a. chestnut daughter of Berrilldon and Rainbow Division, by Stalwart. She was bred by W. II. Rowe, is owned by W. A. Meise and trained by W. 0. Joplin. Gymkhana is a chestnut daughter of Jim Gaffney and Our Hannah, by Yankee. She was bred by A. B. Hancock, is owned by Edward F. Whitney and trained by W. Irvine. It means nothing, but it is rather peculiar that each winner is chestnut in color. When two-year-olds win purses in the early days of January it is surely a quick return on the investment, and that is one of the reasons for these early opportunities for the youngsters. Of the three winners Step Along was the highest priced, and that is natural, for he is a colt. He was consigned to the Saratoga yearling sales by the Greenwich Stud and pur chased by C. T. Worthington for ,500. His purse at New Orleans netted Mr. Graber 00, so that it is readily seen that he ought to win back his purchase price before long. Gymkhana is another that was purchased at the Saratoga sales when she went to Mr. Whitney for ,700. Her purse was worth 50, so that she won almost a third of her purchase price on her first attempt. No record is had of the price paid for Oil Lady, but it is known to be a moderate one. Her purse was 20. There is no denying that the early racing of the two-year-olds gives the yearling sales i certain impetus. They assure a quick return on the investment and, while the winter tracks seldom see two-year-olds that go on to greatness during the racing year, it induces the purchases of the less fashionably bred ones or those that, for one reason or another, do not command high prices. Racing of two-year-olds in January, February and March is popular with those who. race. through that season. It is a sport that is popular with thoss who breed for the market, and it has its uses in preserving the breed of the thoroughbred horse. It is gratifying to know that for 1921 Windsor has been restored to the Canadian racing circuit. Last year this popular racing point was eliminated, but with its return it will afford a longer racing season in Canada. Racing at Windsor had grown to such gigantic proportions that there was some surprise when the gates were not opened last year. The return would suggest that Canadian racing for 1924 will be better and bigger than it has been for several years. The dates that have been announced by the Canadian Racing Associations make the Canadian season begin at Woodbine Park in Toronto on May 17, as against May 19 of last year. The racing will continue with short intermissions between each seven days meeting until October 11, as against September 29 of last year. This means the addition of fourteen days to the schedule of the tracks of the Canadian Racing Associations, making it a season of 112 days, against the 9S of 1923. Of course, in addition to these, there will be the usual racing at the other Canadian tracks that will bring the season up to considerably-over the 126 days of sport that were enjoyed in 1923. Kenilworth, Devonshire and Thorn-cliffe each had fourteen days, and then there is Dufferin Park and the other smaller tracks that race in opposition to the big ones until Canada promises to have continuous sport for a longer season than is usually enjoyed. The coming of Two Step to this country is another evidence how breeding is flourishing. This mare is a daughter of Bachelors Double and Dancing Dorah and when B. B. and Mont-fort Jones paid 1,000 for her an idea is had of how eagerly she was sought by the English breeders. Two Step is a five-year-old and she is in foal to Gay Crusader. A nomination of the offspring has been made in the Futurity of the Westchester Racing Association for 1926, entries in" which closed Thursday. Right here is shown a reason for the high prices paid for the best thoroughbreds. This unborn foal of Two Step has been made eligible for a race to be run two years hence, where the net value will be considerably in excess of her purchase price. Of course, that is only one of many reasons for the purchase, but whether or not the foal is meant for the market by the Messrs. Jones it has a value that it could not possess without its Futurity engagement. The Futurity is only one of several races that mean much to the breeding industry. They are races that put a high premium on breeding the best and they are races that mean more than any others for the future of the turf and the improvement of the breed of horses. The fact that racing thoroughbreds before they are more fully matured than is possible in January, February and March is calculated to break them down before their time and to prevent their reaching to a full measure "of usefulness. Not so long ago there was a rule of the Jockey Club that prohibited any two-year-old that was raced in those early months from starting for the rest of the year when the sport moved to a section over which the rules of the Jockey Club prevailed. This rule naturally met with considerable opposition from the breeders, for it was bound to have an effect on ths yearling market. This brought about a repeal of the measure, and there are excellent arguments for the repeal. Thoroughbred production has grown to such proportions that it is well to have these opportunities for the quick return. Each year there is an output that is not calculated to improve the breed in any event. Some of them may be precocious, and it is well to have a chance to obtain a quick return. The breed loses nothing and, in fact, is benefited if the early racing means the early retirement of such youngsters. Just as much good comes from the gelding of unworthy colts as from the preserving of the good ones. There are always too many stock horses that can da the breed no good, and it would be infinitely better for the future of breeding if they were eliminated. This applies to the two-year-olds of every year. It is well for racing when many of them are eliminated early. The racing of two-year-olds in January, February and March is just another method of elimination. When there comes a sturdy development of quality he will either go through the$ rigors of early training safely or his trainer, appreciating his worth, will put him aside after this early trial and reserve him for the bigger values that are to be offered later in the year.
